


Gods Be Praised

by Ulreksivaas



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Ancano - Freeform, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Romance, Awkward situations, Epic diss', F/M, Humor, Neglectful Parents, Nords are sweaty, Pacifism, Possible future implied smut, best mage friends, bmf, cute character, cute first dates, cuteness, damaris is sassy, implied attempted rape, minor PTSD, rudeness, so is marcurio so its okay, sort of slow burn I guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2015-07-27
Packaged: 2018-04-05 22:18:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4197057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ulreksivaas/pseuds/Ulreksivaas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Damaris, a small and quite pathetic Breton lass, gets caught up in some serious shit while running away from her noble family in Daggerfall. As always, she keeps freaking out especially when a huge fucking dragon attacks right before she's supposed to get her head chopped off.</p><p>Join this blossoming mage in the adventure that will surely have bards waggling their tongues.</p><p>(formally the wind that speaks thy name)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A backstory

**Author's Note:**

> This is like my second work, but I still have a lot of training or whatever to do before I can actually write good. I hope you enjoy!

Damaris was always the quiet type back at her home in Daggerfall. Even at parties she would sit shyly in the back of the hall minding her own business, sometimes grabbing a treat or two as the servants would walk by. All was well for the young girl, well, that was until her parents tried to set her up with a rich noble from Wayrest. The whole estate was alerted, and soon enough, the whole city. People were ecstatic to find out the young Breton was betrothed, even if she was not.

"You're getting old, Damaris!" her mother would say. Damaris would just shake her head at the accusation and reply with a simple, "But mother, I am almost twenty years old, I'm not getting _that_ old." but, the older Breton would just shake her head and run off to go do whatever it is mothers do. Damaris was uncomfortable with the whole thing, but could stand it as long as it made her parents happy. Although, her parents never really did pay much attention to her.

She was going to go along with it until they brought out the damned scissors and various hair products.  _I knew they would never leave my hair alone!_  Damaris thought in an aggravated tone. She hasn't gotten her hair cut since she was about fifteen, so needless to say it was quite the black curly mass of tendrils. This was the last straw for her. Screw the noble who had a cool horse that she could ride, no one was going to touch her hair!

So, in the middle of the night, Damaris stealthily slipped out of her home with a bag that contained some food, a dagger, a bag of gold, a knife, her favorite book on the Dwemer, and a stuffed cat plushy she slept with every night. And hell no it's not childish to sleep with a plush at almost twenty years of age!

Damaris suspected that her parents would send guards from here to Skyrim, so she had to come up with a plan. A few towns over there was a paint shop that she oh so adored going to. It was just so adorable, especially the door which was covered in painted hand prints of the owner and their children. Hand prints... That gave her an idea! She walked into the quaint little shop and purchase a a small jar of black paint.

Once out of the town and nestled comfortably by a tree, Damaris covered her hand in black paint and then proceeded to cover her lower face with the paint. Scrambling over to the river, what Damaris saw delighted her.

You could barely tell it was the young lass... Well, if you look past the mass of hair on her head. Ah, her hair. They would certainly noticed  _the hair_ wouldn't they? Damaris sighed and pulled out her knife. She knew what she had to do.

Getting to work, she carefully cut off most the length in one swipe. Now, it barely went past her ears. She brought the knife to the side of her head and made a delicate side cut, as she did with the other side as well. After a few more swipes, she got the cutting part out of the way. She gracefully went to work on the curly mohawk that was left, making neat dreadlocks out of the remains of her hair. 

Another look in the water had her almost dying with laughter. She looked like a ruffian or some sort of brute monster thing! This was absolutely delightful.

Over the next few days, Damaris was traveling, greeting new people, and making her way over to Cyrodill. She loved it there, it was always so pretty and sunny there. Then after Cyrodill, she would go to Skyrim. Awesome... Not.

She detested the place. Nords were tall and scary, and their men smelled like sweat. Ah, but beggars can't be choosers.

After a quick rest at the Tiber Septim Hotel, Damaris made her way to the Skyrim border. Damn, all this leg work has her muscles feeling like a bunch of steel ingots were stuff in there or something. Too caught up in her day dreaming, she failed to notice the ambush which would probably fool anyone.

The next thing Damaris knew, she was cold, in a wagon, and definitely not in Daggerfall where she expected to be. In all honesty, she thought her family guards had found her. Nope, not the case. Slowly opening her blue eyes, Damaris made a groan of pain as they tried to adjust to the sudden sunlight.

"Hey you, you're finally awake."

Well, shit.


	2. A dragon, I saw a dragon!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damaris meets Ralof. And a dragon. And Ulfric Stormcloak.  
> And only two of them smell like sweat.

"You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush. Same as us, and that thief over there."

Damaris slowly lifted her head, and low and behold, a Nord was sitting right in front of her. A Nord. Oh, and what do you know, two more to her left. And they even smelled like sweat. The young Breton tried her best to keep the disgust off of her face, and hopefully she succeeded. They were all covered in dirt, don't they know how to take baths? Or are they too much of 'strong Nord men' to do that.

"Damn you Stormcloaks, Skyrim was fine until you came along. Empire was nice and lazy. Could've stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell."

The young girl looked at the thief and had to hold back a scoff. Stormcloaks were actually trying to fight for their freedom while thieves just did.. Uh... What thieves do! Then she really had to hold back a scoff and a possible look of disgust when the thief looked over at her.

"You there. You and me, we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants."

Then the blond Nord spoke up, "We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief."

Well, she guessed that was true. But Damaris hasn't even done anything wrong, unless running away is illegal in Skyrim and Cyrodill. Would be kinda weird if it was.

"Shut up back there." Well, damn. Guess they better stop talking because that was _so_ threatening.

"What's wrong with him, huh?" the thief asked, probably to the guy that has a bandanna over his mouth. Yeah, that is weird, was he like some sort of cannibal that lunges at people every chance he gets or something?

"Watch your tongue, you're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King." Blondie said.

Damaris looked over at Ulfric and blinked. What was he doing here? Must be pretty stupid to get him and his colleagues captured. "Ulfric, the Jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion. If they captured you... Oh Gods! Where are they taking us?" Okay, thief guy was starting to freak out.

"I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits." Well, that was a nice surprise.  Damaris opened flared her nostrils and sighed, she went through all that trouble just to fucking die. Great.

"No, this can't be happening... This isn't happening!" okay thiefy, calm down now.

"Hey, what village are you from horse thief?" the blonde guy asked. Do all Nords have blonde hair? Are all Nords tall? So many questions...

"Why do you care?" How sassy, Damaris thought with an unnoticed smirk.

"A Nords last thoughts... Should be of home." Wow, that was really deep, Blondie.

"Rorikstead... I'm from Rorikstead." Well at least the thief calmed down. Well, it was more like getting throw into a dark depressive tunnel, but he still calmed down.

"And what about you, lass? You haven't talked this whole time." Oh god, a Nord was talking to her. This was her first interaction with a Nord.

"I lived in Daggerfall." Damaris said with a confident voice. No use in lying if they're all going to die anyway.

They said nothing else to her, only offering confused glances as to why she was in Skyrim. Honestly, she should've just went to Wayrest and lay low there. But no, she had to come to the country of tall and sweaty blond men!

\- POV Switch -

So this is how it's going to end? I would have figured my life accomplishments would surpass me going into the city alone. You know, like being a pirate or some fun shit like that. And I'm going to die surrounded by sweaty Nords.

Wait, how did I not realize this before? Where the fuck is my bag? Did they take it? Oh my Gods I'm going to kill them I swear! That had my face paint, a weapon, and Tobias, my stuffed animal!

Great, now the not-blond-Nord from Rorikstead is praying to the Divines. Just shut up alrea-

"Ah, this is Helgen. Used to be sweet on a girl from here. Wonder if Vilad is still making the mead with juniper berries mixed in... Funny, when I was a boy, Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so safe."

And Blondie is still being all Nordy and stuff. Couldn't they make me get executed with cooler people like maybe a cool assassin or an actual successful thief.

Oh great, now we're fucking stopping. Oh well, no need to drag this out anymore. "Oh Gods we're stopping, why are we stopping?"

"Why do you think? End of the line."

Oh Gods everyone is _so_ much fucking taller than me. Hopefully I look at least a little threatening, depending on whether or not I have my face paint on. I was suddenly knocked out of my trance whenever not-blond-Nord spewed some bullshit like 'not gonna kill me', runs away, and gets shot dead by an arrow. Nice.

"You there, step forward." I did as I was told, reluctantly if anything.

"Who are you?"

"Uh, Damaris." Was that a suitable answer for this pompous prick and the bitch in metal?

"Are you from Daggerfall, Breton? Fleeing from some court intrigue?" Excuse-a-fucking you?  "Captain, what do we do? She's not on the list."

I was so fucking done right now I didn't even listen to the rest of their conversation. All I did then was walk forward and stand next to Blondie. Now a priestess was spouting her religious bullshit. We get it, we die, we live, what the fuck ever.

Ok, maybe not so what the fuck ever because a fucking Nord got his motherfucking head chopped off! Dear Gods is this how I'm gonna die?

"Next, the Breton!" And then there was a roar. Oh Gods what kind of wild man beasts do they have in Skyrim? I just walked forward and placed my head on the block. So this is how I, Damaris Aradelle of Daggerfall, will die? I came all this way just to have my head chopped off.

And then a deep rumble came, and a black mass swooped down. Oh my Mara it's like a fucking dragon! Correction, it is a fucking dragon! At least dying because of a dragon is much more badass than a fucking chopping block. 

I slowly sat off, trying to shake off the aftermath of whatever that beast did. Then I heard Blondie.

"Hey Breton, get up! Come on, the Gods won't give us another chance." I quickly got up and followed him, rushing in and almost running straight into Ulfer... Or was it Ulfric? Probably Ulfric. Eh, he doesn't look  _that_ bad without his bandanna. 

"Jarl Ulfric, what was that thing? Could the legends be true?" Really Blondie... Did you really need to ask what the fuck that 'thing' was? 

"Legends don't burn down villages." In this case they did. "We need to move, now!"

"Up through the tower, lets go!" I followed Blondie through the tower. You know, until the fucking dragon burst through the wall and breathed fire everywhere. 

"Oh fucking dammit! Are you alright?" I said to Blondie, in which I got a fear stricken nod in return. "See the inn on the other side? Jump through the roof and keep going."

I did as I was told because fuck everything right now, if I'm told to jump through a hole that a dragon burst open then I'm going to fucking do it. I steadily landed on the balls of my feet and kept going, eventually jumping down to the bottom floor. 

I ran out the door and straight into the sight of a dragon brutally frying alive a Nord while his son watched... Poor kid. I totally blew off what the Imperial guy was saying because he's the one who didn't even try to stop me from being executed since I wasn't even on the fucking list. Fuck the list!

Everything beyond that point was a blur. I remember the dragon picking up people and throwing them around like ragdolls, but that's about it. The next thing I knew, I was running into the keep. And who do I see as soon as I turn around? Blondie!

"That's some crazy shit out there..." I said, just happy that I didn't get my little white ass burnt to a crisp by a giant flying lizard. A dragon... That's not something you would necessarily see while almost getting your head chopped off.

"...Harbingers of the end times... Hey, are you listening to me?" Woah, wait?

"Uhh... Yeah, totally! Harbingers of the end times, got it." I can't tell if this is going to be awkward or not. Probably awkward.

"Here, let met get those bindings off." I stepped forward and gulped as Blondie took out his dagger and cut my 'bindings'. I stretched out my arms and smiled lazily at the sweaty Nord.

"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Damaris, who're you?" I said, sticking out my hand for a handshake quite reluctantly. Those classes mother had me take got this act hammered into my mind. Ugh, I don't want to touch his hand.

Blondie roughly took my hand and shook it, nearly dislocating my poor arm. "I'm Ralof, and save the manners for another time. We need to find a way out. But first, put my comrades armor on and take is ax."

I looked down at a dead Stormcloak and inwardly convulsed. "Uhh, no thanks. I would much rather prefer to use my mediocre spells and wear these rags."

"But, who knows what we'll be up against... Why won't you put it on? Some noble or something?" Ralof said with a stupid smirk on his ugly and sweaty face. Yeah, right now he's ugly because he's being a big motherfucker.

"Fuck no! I don't prefer to wear dead people's clothes, thank you very much!" I said, crossing my arms and looking away. From the corner of my slightly closed eye, I could see Ralof throw his hands in the air like he was annoyed and went on to search the room for a key. Heh, nobody will ever be able to tell me what to do.

"Imperial soldiers, hide!" Okay, scratch that,  _but only under this_ _circumstance_  will I do what I'm told! I charged up a healing spell in one hand and a summon familiar the other. Nobody is going to fuck around with me today. _  
_

The gate opened and I could hear footsteps, so I quickly opened my hand and a purple, transparent wolf appeared. Yeah, get them wolfy!

I jumped out and lamely punched one of the soldiers in the stomach, which made me recoil in pain. Stupid people that are in shape! My familiar was attacking the other soldier with Ralof while I was stuck alone with this megahuman that has abs of steel! I heard a body hit the floor and the next thing I knew was me being thrown on the ground by the soldier with a sword at my gut. 

At the last second Ralof and wolfy came to my rescue. Well, mostly Ralof since he cut the guy's neck in half with his ax. After a few seconds, the soldier fell to my side and I jumped up, yeah, dead people weren't my kinda thing.

I looked at Ralof and he was trying to catch his breath. Wolfy disappeared and I sighed in relief.

"Oh my, that was awesome!" I yelled before running over and wrapping my arms and legs around the side Ralof's waist. I don't give a damn if he's a sweaty Nord, he just saved my fucking life! Before I realized what I was doing, I saw Ralof shift uncomfortably and blush in my embrace.

I quickly hopped off and muttered a quick apology before backing up. "So.... Do one of them have the key?" I asked, hoping to break the awkward tension from my weird hug. "Let's see here... Ah, there we go."

Wait, if they have a key then... They might have my stuff in some prisoner belongings! "Wait, Ralof! I came here with a bag full of belongings, can we go check where they came from for it? Some important stuff in there..." Yeah, like my stuffed animal. Ralof sighed and nodded, to which I reacted with an overly enthusiastic grin.

I ran down the hall, certain there were no more soldiers since she saw half of them get massacred by a fucking dragon. To my right there were some weapon racks, and to my left... Aha! A few chests!

I quickly got to work on opening the first one. Hmm, some gold... Not bad, but not good enough. The second one had some Imperial armor.. Nope. All that's left is one more chest. I swear if my bag is not in here I'm going to fucking murder someone.

Opening it was a breeze, and I had my eyes closed for the suspense. Three, two, one... Open! I opened my eyes and the only thing in the chest was... My bag with everything still in it! Thank everything on this beautiful planet!

I put the straps on my scrawny shoulders and met up with Ralof who looked weirded out by my happy smile. "Come on big guy, we gotta get out of here." I said before pushing open the barred door that he unlocked. 

 All of my bias opinions aside about Nords, Ralof isn't all that bad. He saved my life like twice after all. We both walked through the door and continued down the hallway. Once we reached the bottom of the stairs, there before us stood a door. But, before we could even open it, the roof collapsed next to us which shook the whole keep.

"You alright?" I whispered softly. Ralof nodded and slowly pushed open the door with his weapons ready. I let loose my familiar again and it went straight for the soldiers that were inside. One of the men came at me with a sword and I picked up a candle-lit lamp next to me and bashed him in the head with it. After that, I shut my eyes as I heard my familiar and Ralof hacking away at the enemies.

Once the commotion stopped, I felt big hands on my shoulders. Oh Gods, what if they killed Ralof and my familiar? "Damaris? Open your eyes, it's okay, we killed them." Well, I just helped. I'm not really big on killing people, considering I have never committed the act.

I smiled and stepped back to get a good look of my surroundings. It seems we are in a storage room... Great! That means potions so we don't die! I didn't even listen to Ralof as he spoke, which should be normal to him by now, as I began looting the room. I opened a barrel and found potions, as well as some on the tables in the corners of the room.

"All ready? Let's get going then." I nodded and we continued our descent into getting out of the accursed place. But what we ran into wasn't really what I would expect from the Empire. A fucking torture room.

Why is there even a stupid fucking war? War should be outlawed! No rebellions, no trouble! It's shit like this that get's me going. Oh well, time to bring out the big guns. Instead of my healing spell, I started charging up a summon weapon spell. I let it loose and bam, instant magic sword. I then casted my summon familiar and gave a serious look as the fight went on between the torturer and the Stormcloaks. Suddenly, a weird looking guy with a head that was half bald and half full of hair, came charging at me.

I put up my sword in defense and weakly pushed him back. He just kept on coming towards me though. The bad thing about conjured weapons is that they run out. And... Well, my just did. The assistant backed me up into a dark corner and looked at me with menacing eyes. That's it, stupid fucking soldiers! I grabbed the back of his neck and headbutted him, very roughly at that.

He fell to the ground in agony and I just stood there clutching my head in writhing pain. Mother made it sound much less painful in our little chats about self defense. Ralof came over and finished the job my hitting the soldier deep in the chest with his ax, making blood splatter everywhere, including on me. I just blinked and shrugged it off. Mother and Father would never be able to recognize me now with blood all over my body. I just wish I had a mirror to see if my facepaint was still intact.

Before I knew it, Ralof gave me a hand full of lockpicks and told me to go open that cage with the dead mage inside of it. I quickly got to work and smiled as soon as I was able to open it. Lockpicking has always been one of my greatest strengths for some reason. I quickly grabbed the spell book and the gold, pocketing them in my bag along with the lockpicks.

I scurried after Ralof and the other Stormcloaks as they were exiting the room. Does fighting with them make me a Stormcloak? Hopefully not, picking sides isn't exactly my forte so to speak. We all rounded the corner and eventually an open room full of Imperial soldiers. I conjured a familiar and had my healing spell back in my left hand.

I slowly came out of my hiding spot and looked around. None of them seemed to notice me yet since they were so engrossed in their fighting. Before I could even react, I heard the zoom of an arrow and it pierced my right through my left shoulder. I grunted in pain and fell down, holding back the tears from the stinging pain. It went all the way through my muscle, and man did it hurt like a bitch.

Ralof must have seen me go down because I heard a loud and intimidating yell as the weapons began clashing again. The fighting ceased and Ralof was at my side, gently sitting me up and handing me a healing potion. If I was going to live in Skyrim, I didn't want to be a pansy. I grabbed the end of the arrow and began to pull it out. After a few agonizing seconds, I managed to get it out, as well as blood dripping everywhere.

"You are one tough girl," Ralof said as he ripped off a strip of cloth from his outfit and began wrapping my shoulder with it, "Here, this should help." I casted my mediocre healing spell over myself to ease some of the pain... You know, in case my tough streak runs out and I start crying due to the agonizing burning sensation, which would probably be soon.

I smiled and stood up with a grunt. We both walked to the next room and pulled the lever. After crossing the bridge, the way back collapsed. Great. "The others will have to find a way out, we've got to keep going." I nodded and followed him.

Everything was bright and cheery, well, as cheery as an underground cave can be, until we came into a room infested with fucking huge spiders. I was too weak to fight, but I felt bad for making Ralof go up against those things alone. I quickly charged up my summon familiar spell and conjured my wolf, which quickly began aiding Ralof against the fearsome spiders.

I walked forward a bit and stomped on one of the smaller spiders that was about to bite Ralof. I mean, it got spider guts and blood everywhere, but it's better than having two injured comrades trying to get out of a soldier and beast ridden cave. Ralof muttered a quick thanks before continuing forward. I had a feeling we were almost out, and Gods I hope I am right... I can't stand being in here any longer. 

And what are we fucking blessed with? A giant bear, this is just marvelous. Thankfully I had some notion on sneaking since I used to sneak my way through the kitchens back at the mansion so I could steal snacks from unsuspecting cooks. I motioned my head forward as a silent gesture for Ralof to follow my lead. We slowly but surely got past the bear and found an opening to go outside. I was right!

As soon as we stepped out in the sunlight I collapsed on my knees from exhaustion. We glanced up at the sky and the dragon flew over. Fucking great. I was too tired to even fret about it like Ralof kind of was.

"Yeah, we survived a dragon! High five!" I said with a happiness that should wear off on Ralof to ease his nerves. But as soon as I raised my left arm, I immediately groaned in pain and clutched my shoulder.

"Ah, fuck!"


	3. Riverwood and fucking careless mages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damaris and 'Blondie' travel to Riverwood to meet his sister.

My shoulder ached so badly because I had to go and fucking want to high five Blondie. Not cool Damaris, not cool. I saw Ralof's face twist into something that was along the lines of 'wow you're stupid' and 'woah shit are you okay'. Well, that's what it looked like to me anyway.

The old Damaris would've curled up in a ball at this point with Tobias crushed against her chest. But this was not the case anymore, for I am super badass now! I mean motherfuck, I survived an arrow to my shoulder.'

Ralof stuck out his horribly calloused hand which I gratefully took with the arm that was not injured. Maybe if most Nords are like him, they're not all that bad. Sure, they smell terribly of sweat and manly hormones, but whatever. After I got pulled onto my feet, I gave Ralof a small smile and adjusted the straps of my bag. "I was going to suggest that we part ways, but with your fighting skills, you'd be lucky if you could manage to scare a rabbit away." he said while the corners of his mouth were twitching upward. "Yeah, yeah! Make all the jokes you want, but I could just sick my Familiar on them! Then we'll see who's laughing!" Stupid Nord trying to make fun of me! I'll show him... I'll steal one of his arrows and stab him in the knee, so he can make that stupid joke Father would always mention.

"Damaris, we should get going. My sister runs a mill in Riverwood... And if anyone can help us lay low for awhile, it's her." I nodded as he started walking. Trotting at a reasonable pace behind him, I couldn't help but wonder about things. I mean, the whole atmosphere of Skyrim is just so beautiful, so extravagant... So,  _revolutionary_! Do all Nords have blond hair? Is Riverwood by a river? Do birds have feelings? Do deer make jokes? Do-

Well, I was thinking until I heard some snarling and abruptly face-planted into Ralof's back. "Stay behind me!" He shouted before charging at the wolves. I couldn't let the guy fight on his own against three wolves, I mean come on! Nords aren't  _that_ indestructible. I quickly conjured up my familiar and watched the spectral creature hack away at the wolves. I felt a slight breeze ruffle my curly mohawk and I shivered. Damn Skyrim is cold as like... As like, something really cold? Give me a break, I'm too exhausted to make and witty comparisons. Caught up in my daydreaming, I barely noticed Ralof come over to me and raise his eyebrow. I looked at him out of the corner of my dark-rimmed eyes and shrugged. "Nice fight." I commented before continuing on down the road. 

We walked in silence for a good few minutes before I broke the silence. "Hey, Ralof?" He tilted his head to the left to cast me a glance that seemed to be an acknowledgement. "Are tensions really that bad here in Skyrim? I mean, back home everything was fine except for when Mother made me where those stupid dresses to impress suitors... Oh, excuse me, but, like, is it a war?" I asked, keeping my head turned downwards to the ground so there was no unnecessary eye contact that would leave us both very uncomfortable.

He huffed a little bit and stayed silent for a few moments. "Skyrim has conflict going on, yes. The Stormcloaks are fighting for Skyrim's freedom. I gladly follow Ulfric Stormcloak, who is the true High King." Ralof said with a burst of pride. "I mean, why any conflict at all? I don't know exactly what's going on, but I don't think war should be the answer... It creates conflict that can destroy lives of people who don't want to be involved. you know? I think the opposing parties should just sit down and work things out peacefully and not hack away at each other or send the enemy to the chopping block." 

Hopefully he isn't offended by this because of his love for standing up for what he believes in, which is Skyrim's freedom. "I would suggest you go to Windhelm to join up with the Stormcloaks, but with what you said, it seems that's a very uncomfortable situation for you. Only if things were that easy, Damaris..." He said, casting me a sideways glance with a gruff smile.

I lifted my head some more to see a small village in the distance. "Is that Riverwood, Ralof?" 

He just shook his head yes and sighed. We both walked through the entrance and looked around. "Looks like word hasn't spread yet. Come on, lets go find my sister." I nodded and happily trotted after him. We walked across a small bridge, passing an Elf who said something about me talking to some guy named Sven... Odd, I guess. Ralof and I soon worked our way over to a woman, who I'm guessing was his sister.

"Gerdur!"

"Mara's mercy! It's good to see you, brother."

Then she started asking him questions that my mother would probably ask me. I always thought protective sister relationships were cute. I was so lost in a trance that I didn't notice them walk over to a tree stump. She quickly looked in my direction as I walked over. Gerdur handed me a house key and also told me to go tell the Jarl of Whiterun of the dragon before turning back to her brother. I shrugged and figured Ralof would want to talk to his sister alone. I crossed the bridge and looked around. There were chickens, children, and Nordic adults everywhere. I walked across the road and entered a building that I assumed to be a store, considering it had 'trader' in the name. 

I really wasn't expecting to find bickering siblings, to say the least. Deciding not to get into it, I attempted to leave before a manly voice stopped me in my tracks. "See! You're scaring the customer away!" I just turned around and put on a scared looking smile. "H-Hi there... Are you, uhm, busy?" Damn my stuttering!

The man, which I guess is Imperial, looked at me strangely. I totally forgot I probably look like I crawled out of the deepest pits of Oblivion. "Y-Yeah, I'll check back in once I go to an inn, or something.." all he could do was nod. Thank Gods, no questions! Yay!

First things first, I need a bath. Quickly exiting the store where the awkward tension was quite tangible, I huffed and looked around. Maybe I should go ask Ralof where I should take a bath.

My straw clad feet made a weird slapping noise on the stone from me walking so carelessly. I quickly came across Ralof and another man. "Hey Ralof! Do you know where I can take a bath?" I asked, my eyes wide with anticipation and irritation from this dirt on my skin.

"Yeah, you can take one at the inn if you have the coin or you could always use the river. I'll be up in that house right there," he said, pointing to a house with a fence, "Whenever you feel like it, you can rest there." I nodded and they walked away.

Okay, well, I guess a bath in an inn would be more suitable than one in the river. Fish, you know? I walked into the inn and looked around. There was a woman behind the desk thing, so I automatically assumed she was the owner. "Hey, how much does a bath cost?" I asked her, hoping it was cheap. "Fifty Septims." short and to the point I see. My face fell a bit as I looked inside my coin purse. I was about twenty Septims short. Fuck.

Turning around and leaving in a huff, I went down to the river and shivered. This was not going to be fun. I walked down the road a bit until I came to a point where I was sure no one would come by and see me bathing. After a few minutes of carefully stripping and cringes of pain, I managed to become fully naked without tearing open my wound.

It would probably be best if I went in all at once, but not without using a little magic to heat it of course! Damn, I don't want to get sick in this ghastly Skyrim weather now, do I? I tested the water with my index finger and sighed in content, it was perfect! I quietly slipped in and relished in the warm, comforting feeling. All of my aches and pains slowly fading away as I let the calm water slowly calm my body.

I washed out my hair and cleaned off my face. I was so tired from today and it wasn't even time to go back to Gerdur's yet, so why not a little nap? Yeah.. A nap sounds delightful...

Well, it was delightful until I woke up to someone fucking shaking me awake. "Motherfuck!" I exclaimed, opening my eyes to only be met with hazel eyes, or were they brown? He had tan skin and dark hair, so I assumed he was an Imperial. "Uhh...." just breathe Damaris, breathe.

"Are you alright? I thought you were drowning!" He said, sitting me up before he balance on his knees. "No, sir.. Uh, I was just taking.. A bath and then I fell asleep." This is so fucking awkward. Wait, was I still naked? Okay, so at least after seeing me potentially drowning while naked, he had the decency to throw a blanket over my body which was now dry. How long was I out for? He seemed to blush a little at my completely heated face and the fact that he mistook my nap for drowning.

To break this awful tension, I stuck my good hand out. "Greetings, I'm Damaris. May I have the name of my  _rescuer_?" cue the smirk. The man simply took my hand and shook it gently. As soon as his skin touched mine, I felt an instant connection. Pretty cool, right? "I'm Marcurio, the pleasure is all mine. And sorry for assuming you were drowning. Do you always sleep face down?" He smirked at my unamused face and raised an eyebrow. "Hey, I'm not judging you, am I?" 

"I suppose not. Anyway, you should get dressed. Skyrim is pretty cold, after all."

He turned his back to me and I rummaged through my bag. I was not putting on those rags again, so, I pulled out a pair of boots, trousers, and a simple cotton tunic. "Marcurio, you can turn around now." And turn around he did.

And now he was staring at me like I had grown an extra head. "W-What?" He snapped out of his trance and smirked. "You just look adorable with over sized clothes on." Well, I was not expecting that. I blushed furiously and gathered up all my things. This tunic was indeed my Fathers, but the trousers and boots were mine, obviously. "Yeah, well... Y-You look adorable with that pony tail thing!" Smooth, Damaris, real fucking smooth.

Marcurio laughed at my stuttering compliment and wiggled his eyebrows. I do not understand men or flirting one bit. "So,  _Damaris_ , where are you headed?" that emphasis on my name was't really helping with my blushing problem.

"Well,  _Marcurio_ , I'm headed to Riverwood for the-"

"That's where I'm headed. Want to walk there together? You have nothing to fear with me by your side." That. Fucking. Smirk.

"Sure. Uh.. Here's your blanket. It is your blanket, right?" He simply nodded and took it off my hands, rolling it up, and putting it in his own bag. 

The walk back pretty much consisted of his insistent flirting and my stuttering responses. This wasn't fair, I'm not used to dashing men! He was like the definition of dashing on two legs. And his pony tail...

"Am I that beautiful?" I quickly realized I was staring and looked the other way, hoping my mohawk was hiding my shame. Which it wasn't. Damn mohawk.

It was almost sundown and Riverwood was just a few minutes away. Talking with Marcurio was quite fun, actually. He wasn't a sweaty Nord which was a huge plus. "Hey, Marcurio? Are you staying at the inn?" 

"Well yeah, I don't think anyone would appreciate a handsome mage sneaking into their home to stay the night, now would they?" This man is too much for my inexperienced personality.

"I was wondering if you wanted to meet up tomorrow and come with me to Whiterun. I need to inform the Jarl of some very important stuff. After all, you said I have nothing to fear with you by my side." And by important stuff I meant the fucking dragon that nearly killed me, no biggie.

He chuckled softly before nodding. "I don't usually accompany people for free, but I like to make exceptions for pretty ladies. So yes, I will. Meet me by the bridge at dawn and we'll be off."

"Awesome, see you tomorrow morning!" I said as we entered the village. Waving goodbye wasn't as flirtatious as I expected, which was good I suppose. I quickly ran up to Gerdur's house and opened the door, relishing the smell of cooked food. Ralof and I talked a little bit about today as we ate vegetable soup. Gerdur, her husband, and their son offered to stay at the inn so we didn't have to share a bed. Gods bless them. After they left, Ralof and I awkwardly stared at each other.

"You take the big bed." I said while walking over to what I presume to be a bed made for a child. Perfect for my size, actually. "I don't want you sleeping in a small bed, I mean, you can't even fit! Nords are tall, you know?" He chuckled softly and walked over to the bigger bed for settling down and falling asleep.

I laid down in my bed and stared up at the ceiling. Today was so climatic. First I almost get my head chopped off, the a motherfucking dragon appears, then I get shot by an arrow, then Riverwood, then... Marcurio. A small smile graces my lips as I think of that weirdly charming man. He seems like the fun type of traveling partner. 

I could feel the warm embrace of sleep approaching me as I closed my eyes, mentally telling myself to be up and ready by dawn to meet Marcurio by the bridge.

This adventure in Skyrim is surely turning out to be very interesting, to say the least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for any mistakes omg I'm so tired right now honestly


End file.
